Quick-acting vise



Oct'. 14, 1930.

A. E. GREENE QUICK ACTING VISE Filed Feb. 3, 1928 QINVENTOR. I BWM #6g/WLM A TTORNEYS the purpose of replacement, resurfacing, or

' sided nut provided'with similar threads.

Patented Oct. 14, 1930 UNITED asTATES PATENT OFFICE JAMBROSE E. GREENE, OF BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA vannex-ACTING, vIsE v VApplication ledFebruary 3, 1928. Serial No. 251,488.

i M y invention relates ingeneral to vises or Similar clamping devices and has particular reference to a so-called quick-acting vise of that general type described in my co-pending application, Serial No. 691,097, liled February 7,1924.

-One of the important objects of the present invention is to provide a vise in which ing certain essential arts ofthe construction or assembly thereof,D are so shaped that their surfaces may be machined or otherwise prepared by methods =less costly than those whichfordinaryforms of vise construction make necessary'.r

Another object of my present invention is to provide a vise in which certain correspondparts thereof, heretofore' made integral,

are made as separate parts and arel soy constructed thattheycan be strongly assembled,

or easily removed, one from the other, for

otherwise making changes in theirv contours orconstruction, as is frequently required or j Adesirable.

" 1 Still another important object of my inven- Vtion is concerned with the well-known fact Athat commercial cold-rolled steel *is-well .mercial cold-rolled steel to adapted,.in bar form, to serve asan accurate guide for sliding parts of the mechanism, and that Awhen used `for this purpose, it is lower any given analysis that have been machined to equal surface smoothness and to within limitsl of equal accuracy. I `have therefore provided means of utilizin'fr comaccurately positien several of Vthe vise' parts, to re-inforce other of the parts and to guide the sliding Jaw part of the vise.

I thus accomplish reconomy of construct-ion and increased strength as compared to other vises of ya similar nature.v

and a nut oft-his character are shown in the present application as incorporated in this general type of vise, eX-

Still another object of my invention relates to means for'increasing they facility with which a screw provided with undercut threads may be engagedor disengaged from anopen- In my application above identified, a screw are described and area 10 of the base 10. A fixed cept that I now disclose the above referred to means for aiding the engagement and disengagement of the threads of the two parts. This Aimprovement is applicable to many other'forms of vises and claims that yembody screws and nuts and I therefore have in mind the use of this construction in vises or other devices other than herein illustrated.

Other objects of the invention will appear hereinafter, the novel features and combinations being set forth in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawing Fig. 1. is a view in vertical section of a vise embodying the salient features of the present invention Fig. 2 is a view in cross section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a detail view in end elevation of the fixed aw part of the device.

Referring now to the drawings in detail: 10 represents the base of a vise having parallel top and bottom surfaces and provided with bolt slots 11 folI securing the vise to a machine or vwork table. A guide plate or bar 12 surmounts and is adequately supported by the elevated longitudinally extending jaw 13 is provided with a channel in its lower surface which is adapted to snugly fit the plate l2. 'A sliding jaw 14 embraces the edges of the plate 12 as well the elevated longitudinally extending area 10 of the base l0 and is thus mounted with freedom of sliding movement on these parts. The sliding movement of the movable jaw is readily and conveniently effected unless the same is held in fixed relation thereto. A socket l5 is providedin the sliding jaw 14 for the reception of the end of the actuatingscrew 16 and with a ball or knob 16 formed on the end of the actuating screw 16 to thus connect the screw to the jaw for universal movement. The ball or knob end of the screw is confined within the socket 15 bythe machine screw 17 which is tapped into the socket l5 behind the ball or knob and without interfering withA the 'free pivotal 'movement of the ball. or knob Within the withparallel vertical sides, with outwardly f connection.

than the diameter of the Vreduced diameter 1 8 Y the terminationv of the threads Y or. knob 16',4 The purpose and curved top and bottom walls, and preferablyY with a concave closed end substantially corresponding to the curvature orcontour of the ball or knob 16. In cross section, the vertical dimension of thesocket ismade considerably larger than the diameter of the ball or knob and its width between the parallel side walls is made only very slightlygreater ball or knob. The

concave end wall of the socket is so shaped that, when the screw 16 is forced in the direcV tion of the socket, the ball or knob on` the end thereof will slide into center with the deepest pointin the lconcave surface and this point ispositionedrsothat when the knob or ,ballendof ythe screw is concentric with it,

thelperiphery of the yknob or ball V16 will be in contact with the bottom wall ofthe socket. A recess, aperture, or the like, opening18 is rprovided inthe bottomwall of the socket 15 forY accommodating compressed coil spring the socket against the of the screw between and the ball function of 19 which projects into this spring will'behereinaiter more particu-Y larly referr'edto.. j, l

The manipulating Ahandle 2O of thel screw 16 is hingedly attached to the free end of the-screw by means of a rivet, or the like, 21

which also servesas a pintle for a pivoted The open-sided nuty `26'is provided with undercut'threads adaptedto fit the threads ing .the sliding] Y tion.-r

screw is all clearly described in my:co-pend .ing applicationabove identified, The nut 26 is mounted upon the'plate 12 by the bolt 27 and the bolt also serves to mount .on the lscrew 16.for holding the sliding jaw 13 or else for effecting-a gradual and nne adjustment with the yjaw by rotating the screw by` ythe' hand1ef20 .while the `threads steel is well adapted without modification for Vthis purpose; and that, means being provided permitting this use,

the threads of-.the nut.

thereof are engaging lifted out g of vengagement with the VVnut 26 whichreleasesitfor quick sliding movement whereas by lowering the screw so-that the.: .threads thereof engage the threads of the nut 26,;rotation` ofthe screw. may :be ,effected by f the handle 2O .for tightly clampingan object-i between the fixed andsliding jaws and holdnut Yall -in strongly assembledY relation, by .means of one bolt Vand one lcap screw,

'aw in such *clamping posi This function and operation of the the plate upon'the base 10. f

The cap screw 28 y extends upwardly fr through anopening-in'the'base10'made to rece1ve'1tthr ough an openinginthe plate 12 Y nfiade'to receive it, and is tapped into -the'fixedf .e v jawv 13-to clamp these parts/ofi the cui-ely Yin place in a device sescrew 28am-preferably ttedsnuglyin the known by. those Y chined by( this` means,

. jew -in-predetermined fixedy relation to thel fixedi y j manner similar to th'eiise.` ofthe bolt 27;'Y othfthe boltl27y and the cap l Vifwraaea exception of the openings in the base 10 which are preferably made larger in diameter, respectively, than the bolt and cap screw in order to obtain the assurance that stresses incidental to clamping pressures between the f.

jaws of the vise will be sustainedby the steel plate 12 and will not, in as great a measure, act through the base 10, which may therefore y'be of weaker and less expensive material. In

Fig. :1, :the: part 29xillustrates an object clamped between the jaws 13 and 14 of the device. Y Y

1t ispreferablethat the topandfbottom surfacesofthe base 10 be machined substanfacing the upper side of the base could not be be readilyaccom-y done on a disc grinder but would require p planing'V or milling. vThe samealso vapplies to the workin-g face of thejiixedj aw. It is wellfamiliar with machine-shop and` manufacturing methods that the opera- Ation of ldisc grinding is one of great economy,

asy compared' with the milling or planing of flat metal surfaces ,and.it-isevidentthat inasmuch as the parts embodied in the prese-nt inventionhaye, by-novel shapes and arrangements, been made susceptible of being Vmanew andusefullV improvementsand economies have been accomplishedzby me in thejart.: v

making thebase .and fixed jawias described, it is possible to place between them a plate yhavir'ig opposite Isurfaces smooth and parallel and which will serve as aguide for the sliding jaw; and, further, that cold-rolled Qthat` bya unique arrangementv and'shaping of parts itjhas been made possible to retain the base fruideolate fixed 'awsli'din' 'aw and 7 b 7 7 7 which represents ardegree of simplicityandeconomy Y not 1before evidenced in viseconstruction.

l do not wish to be limited ytoonly two fastening elementasuch asthe bolt 27 and the cap screw 28,Y because it would be equally withinthe scope of the invention touse a plu-` ralityof such elements; but I do not wish to emphasize ithe fact that it is advantageous, for reasons hereinbeforezerplained, to make a. vise inwhich the fixed f j aw, guideA plate, nut and baseV are separable elements; and that,VV by means-'off the constructional V'principles Yspecifiedg,v the number` of said fastening elements Ynecessary to'y insure rigidity and-trueness of f the assembly of l liesesevera'lfparts lia-sheenv Hnut, which travel forces the ballk end ofthey V said screw iiitothe socket 15 in thejaw 141. f-This f movement, as previously explained, causes the said ball end of the screw to slide "into center with the deepest point in the concave end ofthe socket 15. The coil spring 2o 19 is compressed `by this action, and the several parts are so proportioned that when this 'position is reached, the axis of the screw 16 j is vconcentric ywith the axis' about which thethreads inthe nut 26were generated, thereby bringing about the full and uniform engage- 'meiit between-the thread of the s f the thread ofthe nut 26. i' 'The-object held infthevise is released by f reversiiigtheioperation just described, and it will fbev'observedthat' in this reverse pro- Y cess the spring 19 acts to lift theball end of the screw 16 inthe socletfl. yThis action takes place-as soonasgreverse rotation of the 4.screw `16 relieves the pressure with which 35. itwas forced into saidsOCket. The effect of thus raisingthe ball end of the screw 16 is to vpartly diseng'age the interlocking undercut surfaces-of thejthreadsv of the .screw 16 and nut 26, Ifhaveyfouiid that when this has 40 taken place, the handle end of the screw can easily and. freely be lifted, completely disengaging the screw from they nut; Whereas,

, i otherwisefwlienthenut126 is relatively long,

and as the-jaw 16 approaches a. position far- .thest removed from .thej aw 13', the interlock- Ving threads tendto stickin4 engagement with each other, causiiiginconvenience.

.\ It, -should be v understood, however, that while -the spring 19 is desirable for therea-l sons speciiied, itisiiot essential and may be' omitted, if desired, the screw 17 being relied Y 1 Von to confiney the Vsemi-spherical head Vor knob' y""'16""in 'the socket 15 I'adjacent the bottom A' Y Vthereo-tin 'the jawllrf When the spring 19 155" is omitted and .the viseis operated" iii the fmannerjillustrated in Figi, 1, the head 16 will.centeritself'byT sliding? up to the posi- J 'tion' shown in the'dotted lines in fFig. 1. In

'otlier-wor'ds,fwhenclamping-pressure is ex- TG ertedbyfoperationfof the device, the head 16 w-ill be pressed against thebottoin'of 4the A fsoclet lwheife.theconcavesurface is so po- --sitioned'fthat itwillcause thelmob 16 to -inove toa locationwhere the axis of the screw 16is concentric with the axis of the screwcrew 16 and threads on the half-nut soy as to assure ythe ifull and uniform-engagement between the threads of the screw 16 and the threads ofthe nut Q6. The screw 17 may be of su'llicient length to prevent they head 16 from being` u dran from the soci 15 withou' interfering with vthe centering action of the head aiidwitlioutinterfering with the free i'eease of the screw 16 from the half-nut 26 whenever desired.

A further advantage incidental to this de- -scribed action of the spring 19 is that theY handle endof the screw 16 need not be lifted as entirely clear of the nut 26 when itis desired to slide thejaw 141- quiclrly to any position.

Obviously those skilled in the art may make various changes in vthel construction and arrangement o'tparts without departing from the s iirit and scope o't the invention as defined by the claims hereto appended, and therefore I do not wish to be restricted to the precise construction herein contained.

Having thus fully described vand shown an embodiment of my invention, what l claim andY desire to secure by vLetters Patent the UnitedStates,-is:-

1. In a vise, the combination with a base having a bottom recess, a guide 4plate mounted thereon, a fixed jaw, a bolt roperable in said recess for securiiigrigidly together said base and said 'plate and said lixed jaw, a. movable jaw guided along said plate, means for into a socket in said sliding aw, means for r`preventing said screw from becoming detached from saidsocket whilefthe latter per- Vinits flexibilityfof movement ofsaid screw for engagement with and' disengagement from said open-*sided nut,ffsaid operating i screw and said open-sided-nut'having undercut threads, a spring in said socket in position to press upwardly the end of said ,operating screw in said socket'to assist in releasing theoperating scie'wfrom said open-sided nut when' said operating-screw is released, and a conical depression in said socket to afford a camA to move said operating vscrew into position where its axis will be concentric with the axis of the threads of the open-sided nut when the operating screw engages said nut andthe movable' jaw presses they work against theiXed jaw. f 3. In a vise, 'thev combination/with a. base y"member of a aw secured to said base mem-r ber, a jaw'slidably mounted on said base member towards and away from said fixed jaw, a screw having operative engagement Y withrone of said jaws'at apoint -substantially along the longitudinal axis of said screw, and` ay halfnut secured to the otherof said jaws andadapted interlocking threads on said screw and nut 'to prevent relativemovement, of said screw; away from said nut` without the aid of any i auxiliary pressure means acting transversely j to the axisot said screw 'and' towards said nut A f -J- Y A '4. A vise comprising apair-'ot jaw memv-mentwiththefaxis of saidnut, and intersaid screw,-and aL spring vbers relatively movable on a base member, one of said jaws member, a screw having` engagement with' one 'of said feed,` screw, connected to the other of said 'jaws and `adapted to occupy a being secured to said base jaws adjacent one end ofsaid an -open sided nut operatively fixed position relatively thereto, means for applying'clamping pressure to said screw to move said jaws towards each other, means for alining the axes ot said screw "and nut, means Jfor moving said screw so asv lto move the axis thereoffout of alinelocking threads on said nut and screwv adapt-v `edtof'ho'ld said nut innengagement rwith said screwjwhilefclamping pressure is being api plied to saidA screw `and without the aid. of,l

t lauxiliary .pressure jproducing means acting Y the axis of 'said screw and to-V said jaws, a halt nut rigidly connected to the 4fothe'r of said jaws, alining means or alining c 'the axis ofsaid screw with the. axis .of saidV t nutwhen clamping` pressure is applied to for cooperating l with the jaw engaging end ot'said screw `for movin the screw to a; position v axis o said screw is'out of alinementwithfrf t. theaxis of saidnutgwhenthe clamping pres- "S-fsure is removed, Ysaid-,nut and screw/"having"l iundercut'threadswhich prevent the removal from said nut while clamping of -said *screwl Y pressure is being applied thereto, said screw nut by manual means after Vsaidspring has moved said jaw engaging end in ,the manner {set}` forth.

` `6. A-visefcomprising; a pair of relatively 7 movable jaw members' mounted on ay ibase,A .a

.v screwfhafving a loose connectionwith one ot said jaws, uhalf nut rigidly ,connected to the other voisaid jaws, alining means for erating with the jaw engagingendof said.

to co-operate with said screw,

such that the screw vhaving undercut threads whichprevent the. removalbf said'screw Vfrom said nut while clamping pressure is being applied thereto, saidV screw beingv adapted to be moved out of engagement with said :nut by manual meansafte'r said spring has moved 'said jaw'engaging end inthe manner set iforth, said alining means comprising a spherical Vhead on said screwadapted toenvgage a curved surface of a-recess forming a 'part of `the loose connection between said screw and itsrespective jaw, the otherpart of said loose connection bein-g the said spherical head which is received within said recess.

7 A vise comprising a'base, a jaw movably mounted on saidbase, a'halfnut on said base,A a `screw cooperating `with said nutand having one end thereof loosely received within Va recess in saidjaw, undercut threads on'said screw and nutg'and ya springfor raising the jaw engagingfend offsaid screw'soV .that when manual means isapplied tothe otherV end of Said screw YtoV lift said screw out of engagement with said nut, there will-be no binding between the co-operating undercut threads on said screwand nut to thereby prevent removal o-saidscrew from said nut.

8. In avise the/combination kwith a sliding jaw having 'a recess adapted 'to'` pivotally retain oneend of a feed screw,- agfeedfscrew j'having one end thereof `fittedfwithiiisaidrecess, a' half nut co-operating with said screw, said nut and screw having Vco-operatingjundercutthreads, means withinsaid recess whereby, when clamping Vpressure is applied tok said screw tomove said nut the end of'said screwin said recess is guidedv to a positiontherein, such that the axes of said screw and'nut :are substantially in' alinement, and a yielding means topress against said' lscrew whereby, whensaid clamping pressureis released,the end Yofsaidscrew ,engagedr in said recess lwill, 'be v,moved to another positionV wherein the recesslofrsaid screw' is out of valinement with "the axis of said. nut-without kdisengaging said screw ltromsaid nut.

1 'being adaptedto-lbemovie'd.out. of engagee 'l f ment with said A vise comprising a .screw,anfopen sided nut, undercut'threads onsaid screw co-opmeans tor changingthel position of said screw Vwith respect' to ,said: abutment'l when said screw i's not exerting pressure on said abutment, vand Y without .disengagingvv said screw from :said nut, to thereby"l facilitate disen-VV gagement of said nut and screw whenmanual nii means is applied to said screw for this purpose.

10. A vise comprising a fixed jaw and a movable jaw, an open sided nut, a screw pivotally connected to said movable jaw and adapted to co-operate with said nut, interlocking threads on said screw and nut, means for depressing the pivoted end of said screw when pressure is exerted against the end thereof, and spring tension means adapted to elevate the pivoted end of said screw when said pressure is relieved and without disengaging said screw from said nut and for the purpose of assisting manual disengagement of said screw and nut.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specication on this 27th day of January, A. D. 1928.

AMBROSE E. GREENE. 

